Construction of vessels of reinforced concrete



P. M. LORTON. CONSTRUCTION OF VESSELS 0F REINFORCED CONCRETE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-l1, 1917. 1,349,075. Patente Aug. 10, 1920.

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PIERRE MARIE LORTON, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

CONSTRUCTION OF VESSELS OF REINFORCED CONCRETE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

Application filed August 11, 1917. Serial No. 185,802.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, PIERRE MARIE LORTON, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at N o. 48 Quai de la Rape, Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Vessels of Reinforced Concrete, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved construction of vessels (ships, boats and the like) of reinforced concrete. According to this invention the sides of the vessel are formed by elliptical vaultings or arched members having their convex sides turned toward the water; the generating lines of said vaultings lie fore and aft of the vessel, or in other words, in the direction of the length of the hull. The springings of each group of two consecutive vaultings are buttressed against a longitudinal rib formed in one piece from one end to the other of the vessel. These longitudi nal ribs constitute the framework of the hull; they impart rigidity to the vessel in the fore and aft direction. and in the transverse direction they prevent the vaultings from being flattened by the pressure. If necessary the framework may be completed by transverse ribs which help to impart the desired rigidity to the hull and serve more particularly to take the thrust of the vaultings.

In the portions that are exposed to shock the longitudinal ribs project outwardly up to a point beyond the plane that is a tangent to the keystone of the vaultings. The shocks are thus transmitted directly to the longitudinal ribs.

The reinforcements of the vaultings consist of sheets of opened out metal, or of a grating or a network of small bars; they are tied to the reinforcements of the longitudinal ribs and of the transverse ribs if such are provided.

The accompanying drawings illustrate diagrammatically one form of construction of the vessel. In the drawings,

Figure l is a cross section and Fig. 2 is a partial longitudinal section thereof.

As shown and described the'hull of the vessel is composed of a suitable number of elements 1. Fig. 1 shows clearly the shape of these elements. As hereinbefore stated each element consists of a flattened arch having its convex surface directed outward, that is to say, toward the water, the generating lines of the arch being parallel to .the longitudinal axis of the vessel. These arches are fastened by their reinforcements to longitudinal ribs 2 and also to transverse ribs 3 and 4. The hull shown in the drawings is by way of example. It is to be understood that by means of the said elements and by retaining the characteristic features of the invention, hulls can be constructed of reinforced concrete cement which may have an internal shape different from that shown in the drawings.

The improved construction has the following main advantages Hulls constructed in this manner have a very much higher resistance to shock than hulls constructed as hitherto, because the vault-shaped sides of the vessel have a great elasticity. while they are also protected from the direct action of the shock by the outward projection of the longitudinal ribs.

A perfect tightness is obtained owing to the compression of the concrete in the form of vaultings under the action of the water pressure.

The necessary thickness of the walls for giving resistance is very considerably re duced, so that a hull of much greater lightness and much better elasticity is the result.

This invention may be carried out either by pouring the concrete on to the reinforcements prepared and supported by molds or plankings, or, by means of previously molded elementary vaultings. In the latter case it is sufficient to allow the reinforcements to project, and to tie together the reinforcements of two consecutive vaultings, while tying them also to the reinforcements of the longitudinal and transverse ribs. way the junctions of the elements are made at the same time as the ribs, whereby a perfect union is assured. The previously molded elements have a very great rigidity by reason of their shape and they can be easily transported. By using such elements the difficulty of providing a planking or molds for'the hull may be entirely done away with. which possibility is often very important in the case of the very thin thicknesses which it is necessary to produce in building hulls of concrete.

The vaultings are designed in such a manner that the load will produce only compressive stresses in them and therefore only one reinforcement is required instead of the two In this reinforcements that are necessary wall. 7

The hull of a vessel of reinforced Concrete with walls constructed according to this invention by means of vaultings having their generating lines directed along the length in a flat of the vessel said vaultin 's bein buttressed upon longitudinal ribs that project to the outside in those portions that are exposed to shock, and being also connected together f necessary by means of transverse ribs, constitutes a new industrlal product.

It is preferred in carrying out this invention to employ reinforced concrete made of slag, crushed, sifted, mixed with cement and water, and then rammed.

' What I claim is 7 1. The improved construction o i' the hulls of vessels of reinforced concrete, whlch consists in forming the walls of elliptical vaultlngs having their convexlty turned toward the direction whence the pressure is exerted,

,and having their generating'lines arranged along the longitudinalaxis of thevessel, said vaultlngs be ngconnectedto'gether by longitudinal ribs against which they are but- 2. The improved construction of the hulls of vessels of reinforced concrete, which consists in forming the Walls of elliptical vaultings having their convexity turned toward the direction whence the pressure is exerted, and having their generatlng lines arranged along the longitudinal axis of the vessel, said 'vaultings being connected together by longitudinal ribs against which they are buttressed, and whereinthe longitudinalribs located at theplaces exposed to shock, project outwardly beyond the farthest projecting point ofthe vaultings.

3. As alnew article of manufacture, a hull of a vessel havlng a wall composed of mmthe direction whence thepressure is exerted,

and having their generating lines arranged along the longitudinal axis of the vessel, said vaultlngs being connected together by longi- .tudinal ribs against which they are, buttressed, and transverse rlbs.

5. The improved construction of the hulls of vessels of reinforced concrete, which consists in forming the walls of elliptical vaultings having their convexity turned toward the direction whence the pressure is exerted, and having their generating lines arranged along the longitudinal axis of the vessel, sald vaultlngs'being connected together by longitudinal ribs against which they arebuttressed, and transverse ribs, and wherein the longitudinal ribs located at the places exposed to shock, project outwardly beyond the farthest projecting point of the vaultlngs. p

6. As a new article of manufacture, a hull of a vessel having a wall'composed of reinforced concrete arranged in the form of elliptical vaultings having their convexity fturned toward the sourceof pressure and having their generating lines along the longitudinal axis of the vessel, with longitudinal ribs for connecting and buttressing'said vaultlngs and transverse. rlbs, to take the thrust of the vaultings. Y

PIERRE MARIE LORTON. 

